1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to terminal tackle. More specifically, the invention is an artificial fishing bait with a hook connected to and extending through an opening in the body with the hook tip resting within a channel formed on the dorsum of the body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Swim bait is a class of artificial bait that generally has a molded plastic body designed to imitate a bait fish. Swim bait typically includes one or more hooks extending from the top or bottom of the body. Typically, the lure bodies are sold separately from the hooks, meaning that the fisherman must rig to the lure and dispose the hooks through the body prior to use.
This design, however, often results in the hook or hooks catching or snagging on obstructions during use, especially in shallow water where vegetation and debris tend to grow and accumulate. In addition to possibly losing the lure, should the hooks catch on such obstructions, the fisherman wastes time removing the vegetation or tying on another lure.
Another problem with plastic-body lures is the tendency of the lures to tear or rip during use. In such cases, the fisherman has to dispose a new hook through a new lure body, which can be a time-consuming process, to make sure the hook is properly aligned in the mid-sagittal plane of the lure body for proper presentation.
Some lures position the hook tip into a small portion of the body in an attempt to keep the lure from obstructions. One drawback to this approach, however, is that positioning the hook under the surface of the plastic adds a great deal of resistance to movement of the hook, resulting in relatively more failed hook sets because the hook must penetrate through the plastic in order to embed the hook point in the fish's mouth. Many times, this results in the fisherman pulling the lure out of a targeted fish's mouth before the hook can penetrate the plastic.
Thus, a need exists for an improved artificial lure that reduces the chance of the hook snagging on environmental obstructions without reducing the chance of a proper hook set in a fish's mouth.